Into The Depths
by OnyxHarmony
Summary: Taking a walk can clear your head. Or it might just cause a tidal wave that washes over everyone you care about. Deity often found comfort in the ocean, but the innocent gift of a photograph from Zane may cause the waves to be her tomb. ((Grumpy Zane and Corrupted Cole belong to @grumpy-zane on tumblr. Deity, Laria, Editia and Iris, and the Unknown are mine. ))
1. Thawed Memories

Every time Zane looked at Deity lately, it was like looking at someone else.

Someone familiar.

Someone he knew.

Why?

He didn't know.

The simplest things triggered a tingle in his memory banks, but nothing surfaced.

A twist of her mouth into uncertainty after a night of nightmares while she sat at the kitchen table, or even a slight shift of her expression into heavy focus while she was working on something...it all reminded him of someone he knew.

Who could it be?

Surely there wasn't someone he'd forgotten. What was his mind trying to tell him?

Zane sighed and rubbed his face, grabbing his jacket as he walked out of the Bounty and onto the grassy trails below it.

He didn't know where they were right now, but anywhere was better than here. He needed to go for a walk.

Zane frowned as he looked around the path he was walking. Where had Jay parked them? He'd never seen this area before.

The dirt path seemed...overgrown, as though it hadn't been touched in a long time, perhaps for years.

Heading down a hill, Zane passed by an apple tree. It was old, over ten years at least. Perhaps even a little older. Still, it bore fruit despite the rather hilly spot where it'd taken root. Reaching the bottom of the hill, he stopped.

Something felt wrong here. Like something bad had happened right where he was currently standing. The feeling only increased as he made a right and continued walking down the overgrown path. Another spot on the ground made him stop and look around. Nothing was around him.

Not a person, nor an animal...it was like this area had been abandoned.

Slowly making his way toward the scorched wood plank he saw in the distance, Zane frowned. What was going on? He'd never seen this before.

The plank looked like the remnants of a sign.

Leaning down and picking it up, Zane tried to read it. The sign was burnt, but some letters were still visible. Aside from V-I-L-L, he couldn't make anything else out.

Village? Is that what it said? What village?

Lifting his head, Zane looked a little further down the road and slowly dropped the sign, heading in the direction of the village he saw.

Or rather, what was left of it. Everything was burnt, black char coating once recognizable buildings. Houses were partially destroyed, some nothing more than scraps of wooden foundation.

"Something terrible happened here..." Zane said, afraid to raise his voice above a whisper. Daring to walk further into the village, he began to survey the area. This could still be a walk to clear his head, right? A lone house toward the back of the village stood out to him. It was scorched and burnt, covered in ivy from the back garden fence he could see. Would it be trespassing if he went inside? It was clear that no one lived here anymore. Walking up to the house and pulling the ivy off of the door, he gently pushed it open.

A layer of dust hit him in the face as the door was fully pushed open. After wiping his face off, he paused when his eyes met the scene before him. Everything here was untouched by time, presumably still in the same spot it had been when the people living here had fled. Carefully stepping through the house, he couldn't help but notice things about the people who had lived here. A small stack of handcrafted wooden blocks caught his attention.

They'd had a child. A family with a child, caught in whatever mess had caused this village to burn.

Zane sighed, heading toward the back of the house. He wasn't one to scavenge where it wasn't needed, but maybe he could at least explore the house. Finding a bedroom, Zane went inside and looked around. Clearly, this was the parent's bedroom. A larger bed gave it away. Turning to leave the room, a slip of paper sticking out of a drawer caught his eye. It wouldn't hurt to look, right? Carefully opening the drawer, he picked up the paper-which upon closer inspection-was an old photograph, weathered by time.

The photo was of a family-presumably the one that had lived here. The father had clearly been a farmer of sorts, shown by the way he dressed and the brief glimpse of the garden he'd seen outside. The mother was wearing armor, and she seemed happy. They all did, even their daughter in the picture, who sat between them. Sporting a grin and excitedly gripping her father's leg, she seemed thrilled to be taking the picture.

The longer Zane stared at the picture, looking over the mother in the photograph...something in his head ached. Something felt fuzzy in the back of his processor. Surging up from his memory banks, only to never reach the top. Shaking his head to try and rid himself of the ache, he looked at the photograph once more before putting it in his pocket. Maybe Deity would like this, she always did like collecting photographs.

As he walked out of the room to leave the house, he stopped when he saw the door that led to the back garden. It wouldn't do any harm to look at it. Walking through the kitchen to get to the door, he stopped again when he saw the knife laying on the cutting board.

Pots and pans on the wood-fed stove.

Dishes set on the table across the room.

They'd been in the middle of making dinner.

An entire life, uprooted and destroyed in such a short time.

Zane shut his eyes and shook his head. Maybe they were resting peacefully now in the Departed Realm, whoever they were. Reaching the back door, he opened it to walk into the garden. Though everything was overgrown, it was still beautiful. Flowers of all kinds greeted Zane as he walked around. This was likely the father's doing, perhaps with some help from the child's mother. Finding the center of the garden, a peculiar sight presented itself.

Blue roses. A deep, rich blue that almost seemed unnatural.

Zane knew it wasn't, however. Further scanning and analysis proved that these flowers had not been dyed. They grew naturally, as a result of crossbreeding. "How difficult this must have been..." He knelt down beside the rosebush, metal fingers brushing against the side of the soft rose as he tilted it to get a better look at it. "Truly a very accomplished botanist." Zane considered picking one, but left it be.

Walking back into the house after he was done exploring, Zane looked over the living room one more time. Spying a bow and arrow leaning against the empty fireplace in the middle of the room, he watched it. He could feel that tingling in the back of his mind again as he looked over the design on it. Nothing too intricate, but he could tell it was hand carved-and that the bow belonged to the mother.

The carvings seemed to be things she'd seen along the way. A few frogs here and there, a carving of a rabbit. One stood out-it seemed to be a..helmet with eyes underneath and scarf? A glaive was carved underneath that.

There it was again. The tingling in the back of his mind. Rubbing his face and shutting his eyes for a moment, he tried to calm himself. He needed to get out of here. He'd been gone for a few hours. Zane walked out of the house, making sure to close the door gently on his way out. Making his way down the road past the apple tree, he stopped when he finished climbing the hill to get to where the ship was parked. "I'm not sure how a lone apple tree managed to grow here but..." He smiled. "I am sure it will be here for a long time."

Finally reaching the ship, Zane climbed up the ladder and patted his pocket once he got on the deck. Good. He hadn't lost the photo he'd found. Opening the door and going into the ship, Zane could see the others in the training room, except for Deity.

Perhaps she was napping?

Heading down the hallway to the room Deity shared with Cole, Zane stopped and knocked gently on the door. "Deity? Might I speak with you if you aren't asleep?" He worried he may be disturbing her slumber, as even now she struggled with a proper sleep schedule.

A shuffling of footsteps sounded off behind the door, and then Deity opened it. She was tired, but she hadn't been sleeping. "Hey, what's up Zane? I saw you leave earlier, are you okay?" Deity rubbed her eye and moved aside to let him into her room.

Zane shook his head and smiled, sitting down on the bed. "I'm alright, just needed a walk." He patted the bed next to him, gesturing for her to sit down. "I brought you back something from my walk."

Deity sat down, a little confused. "What, is it a rock or something?"

He chuckled, pulling the photograph from his pocket. "No, no. It's just a photograph I found. They looked happy, and I thought you might like it." Handing her the photograph, he smiled.

Deity smiled. "Oh that's nice of you Zane, I..." Her voice trailed off when she finally saw the picture, hands shaking as her fingers gently tightened around it. "Yeah...I'd say they were happy."

Zane frowned when he saw a tear escape from Deity's eye. "Deity? Why are you crying? I don't understand-"

Deity just shook, barely reacting when Zane spoke. A sniffle turns into a soft cry, and she keeps her head down. Finally finding her voice, she slowly lifts her head and turns to Zane. Tears are still spilling, but despite the pain in her chest, she manages to talk. "I know they were happy, Zane. This is a picture of my family and I. My father, Iris and my mother Editia. This was taken the day of my fifth birthday."

Zane can only stare.

Editia.

_Editia._

**Editia.**

The name burned in his mind, bringing forth an obstructed and foggy memory of snow and letters that forces its way into his mind. Why can't he see it? He can't see all of it. He can't see her face. He almost knows the face that the name belongs to.

Who is she?

Why does his head ache?

Lifting his head to look at Deity, he stops and stares again.

The expression on Deity's face-one of slight pain and uncertainty.

It causes the obstructed memory to become clear, and it hits Zane like a train.

Editia had the same expression. Lost and cold in the Glacier Barrens, until he'd escorted her to some kind of safety.

"She's your mother..." Zane softly murmured the words, still staring at Deity. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost.


	2. What Lies Beneath

A beach day.

The others had suggested it upon noticing the silence between Deity and Zane.

They didn't know what caused it, but when Cole saw Deity breaking down on the bed after Zane left, he'd immediately tried to comfort her. Questions were asked, but Zane was absolved of any guilt.

Zane didn't feel absolved. He felt...strange. How could he have forgotten? True..he didn't remember most of his life from before his father had flipped his memory switch decades ago, but...this felt like he should've known. They both acted similar. Editia and Deity were both terribly headstrong-and she likely inherited her softhearted nature from her as well. Could he be sure? No. Silently packing the picnic basket for the beach as he stood in the kitchen, he paused.

A memory of the time Deity had been hypnotized by Hypnobrai due to his own negligence and fears was surfacing.

They'd called her the new Nightingale, and said she would be putting her mother's skills to better use.

Deity had been deadly, then. Accurate precision with intent to kill, though she wasn't acting of her own free will.

Why? Why had they said those things? Surely Editia hadn't become an…

No.

His grip tightened on the cloth in his hands. Surely not. Though...the evidence was there. Zane sighed and packed the cloth into the basket, shutting the lid. "Whatever happened to you after we met, Editia?"

The kitchen door creaked open, Cole coming in and opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water to take with him to the beach. "What happened to who, Zane?"

Zane shook his head. "I was...thinking about Deity's mother. Do you remember when Deity was hypnotized? What the snakes said?"

Cole tensed slightly, water bottle crinkling under his grip. "Yeah...I remember when she was, and what they said. I..don't know who her mother was, she didn't say much after the hypnosis bit...or when we went to her childhood home over a year and a half ago during Day of The Departed. She just talked about the storm.."

"...Is that where you two went?" Zane was silent for a moment. "I see…" He rubbed his face. "Well, today is a day to relax and keep our mind off things, hm?" He wanted to end this conversation before Cole got suspicious about how Zane knew Editia.

Cole nodded. "You're right, Zane. Hey...I ain't mad at you for causing her to cry." He patted Zane on the back reassuringly as he walked past and out of the kitchen. "It's a painful memory for her. You were trying to give her an innocent gift. I'm gonna go check and see if Deity and the others are ready."

When Cole left, Zane stared at the basket in thought.

Something didn't quite add up.

Something he'd never told anyone about.

Years ago, Deity had asked him to scan her. She wanted to know the true amount of damage the lightning had caused. He had obliged, but...warnings came up when he scanned her. Unknown DNA. That was absolutely impossible, was it not?

Deity was human, wasn't she?

Carrying the basket out to the deck, he watched the ground passing by underneath the ship. Ground soon turned to sand, and Zane looked up into the cockpit window of the ship for confirmation that they had arrived.

Jay grinned and saluted Zane.

Deity opened the door to the deck, pushing the sunglasses up on her nose. "We headed to the waves or what, Ice Cube?"

Her voice caused Zane to turn his head.

She was speaking to him again?

"I...yes, we're headed to the beach." Zane cracked a small smile, watching her adjust her sunhat. "I suppose we could all use a break, hm?"

"You got that right, Frosty." Cole said as he came out onto the deck behind Deity, Kai and Jay following behind him. "It's been a while since we've had a vacation."

Lloyd flopped down onto the deck after climbing the ladder to the ship. "Found a spot for the blanket, Zane-" He wheezed, peeling himself up from the wood. "Nya is already down there building a fire."

Kai shook his head. "I can't understand why my sis likes water so much, it's...freaky. Does the ocean even have a bottom?"

Deity and Zane both turned to Kai at the same time, confused.

Zane shook his head and put his hand on his hip, keeping a steady hold on the basket with his other hand. "Of course it does, it is just...very far down. Do you not remember when I swam down to free the Leviathan near my father's lighthouse?"

Deity huffed. "Yeah, when he-" She paused, looking back to Zane. "What-"

Cole gently rubbed Deity's head. "That happened when you were in the coma, Songbird. It's okay."

Jay crossed his arms. "Can we get down there already?"

Zane shook his head. "Just a second." He went still for a moment, then spoke. "Pixal, is the weather going to be clear for a few hours?"

Pixal sounded off in Zane's head, even though the others couldn't hear her. "The skies will be clear until six in the evening. Should I be quiet during this time?"

Zane shook his head. "Of course not, you deserve this vacation too."

"So? What did Pix say?" Lloyd asked, waiting for an answer with the others.

"The skies are clear until six." Zane smiled, heading for the ladder.

"Wooo! Beach day, beach day!" Jay nearly slid down the ladder as they all headed for the beach.

"Would you slow down?" Deity wheezed when Cole pulled her into his arms as Jay dropped down onto the sad, nearly falling onto the others.

Jay grinned. "Sorry Melody, first vacation in a long time and I'm excited!" He ran off toward the waves, only to sit on the shore and start making sand castles.

Deity huffed and walked to a spot on the sand, sitting down and trying to relax. "The ocean has always been...nice. Soothing."

Cole shrugged and sat next to her. "It is, you're right. I never understood why you feel so connected to it, though."

She shrugged, watching the others eat and play. "I really don't know, babe. Maybe it's because I lived close to the ocean as a child. It's one of the only good memories I have of…" Deity sighed and rubbed her face.

Cole gently rubbed her back. "Hey, you don't have to talk about it. Today is for relaxing, yeah? How about we go for a swim?"

Deity shook her head and turned to him, giving him a smile. "Nah, I'll go by myself. I know you've been eyeing that cake Zane baked for the picnic." She stood up and gave him a brief kiss, then headed toward the waves. "You better save me some of that cake, Cole." She walked toward the edge of the shore only to turn back to him and grin a little. "You can't eat all of it you know."

Cole looked up when she spoke, mouth already full of cake. "Mm? Okay-" He swallowed the bite in his mouth, setting a slice aside and covering it in foil.

Removing her sunglasses and hat, she sat them next to Jay. "Keep an eye on these. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Just wanna swim for a little while." Kicking off her shoes and wading into the water, Deity let out a relaxed sigh once she got about neck height in. This was nice. The water was warm, the sun wasn't too hot...almost comfortable enough to fall asleep in. She could've done that if she had a float device with her. The sound of the waves moving with the tide, it was almost like a soft song, playing just for her. Taking a minute to lie on her back and float, Deity shut her eyes.

Something squeezed around her ankle.

It was a light pressure, but one she could feel.

"Cole knock it off…" Deity murmured softly, wiggling her leg to free herself. She was still stuck. Frowning and opening her eyes ever so slightly, a pair of burgundy eyes attached to a messily haired head gazed back at her.

Whatever it was grinned as though it had caught a prize.

Opening her mouth to scream, Deity was thwarted by the slimy tail that wrapped around her head and over her mouth. She began to kick and flail the best she could, maybe she could alert the others.

The creature let out a low clicking sound and smacked her across the face with a clawed hand. Lunging briefly and biting into her shoulder, it recoiled in pain, moving the black swimsuit cover up away to reveal metal.

Deity let out a muffled snort of amusement under its tail-only to be squeezed tightly and groan when the creature bit her left shoulder.

The attacks drew blood.

Deity could see the red diluting in the seawater, slowly mixing with the waves.

She felt...woozy.

Her vision blurred.

Satisfied with the subduing of its prey, the creature shifted its tail to hold her legs, diving into the water.

Down...deeper and deeper down.

Jay frowned and lifted his head when he noticed Deity had been out there longer than she said she would be. "Hey uh...has anyone seen Deity? I see her shoes at the shore-" He stood up and walked to the edge of the waves, peering out into the water. "Uh...guys? Is that blood?"

Kai shrugged. "Maybe some animal ate a fish?"

The water churned once more in the spot where the blood was, further spreading it out among the waves.

"Kai, there are no dangerous animals in this water." Zane frowned and went to the edge of the shore with Jay, zooming in on the spot that he was pointing to.

"Zane, this is not fish or animal blood. This is…" Pixal trailed off, looking to Zane with worry inside his internal screen.

Zane stared at the water, seeing it churn again. "It's Deity..."


End file.
